There are several components of forest cover change. On the negative side there is deforestation and degradation of natural forests. On the positive side, afforestation and reforestation can take place, either naturally or by planting. This document summarizes the analyses and findings of professionals at both the global and national levels on the causes of forest cover change in Belize.
Country information was collected and interviews were conducted with national experts at the local level. This material has been organized into an annotated bibliography (main document). Findings and conclusions are summarized in this section. The bibliographic references that support the conclusions or points of view are listed at the conclusion of each section.
Some published data indicates that a substantial increase in the rate of clearing of forest and associated woodlands has taken place over the past two to five years - relative to previously published estimates (25 000 ha in 1999 as opposed to 5 000 – 9 000 ha/yr over the previous decade (1981-1990)).
The information presented below highlights the principal causes of forest cover change as reported by the documents reviewed and the professionals interviewed.
Basically, only two of the documents reviewed establish causes that explain the change in forest cover of the country in the last 20 years (16, 17).
The demand of land for extensive agriculture and aquaculture, including cultivation of sugarcane, citrus, bananas and rice, primarily for export, has been identified as one of the most relevant factors in the change of forest cover in the country. At a smaller but still important scale, the demand for small cultivation areas, or “milpas”, represents an area of concern, with an annual demand of approximately 6 100 ha.
Even though extensive deforestation in Belize does not yet represent a large-scale problem, the change in forest cover has been concentrated in the northern and western areas of the country, primarily because of sugarcane and cattle ranching. In the case of cattle ranching, in 1978 there were about 100 000 ha established as pastures. The traditional land use by indigenous people cultivating “milpas” is concentrated primarily in the south and west. Very recently the citrus and banana industries have expanded toward the south, although some citrus cultivation is found throughout the country.
It is important to note that the change in forest cover has occurred primarily on privately owned land where the interest is in maximising utilization and economic return and there is little knowledge or concern about natural resources.
At present the rate of deforestation is not considered critical in the country, but it is believed that this situation may change rapidly. The opening of new highways and roads often leads to deforestation and, at the edges of those passing through forested land, deforestation extending hundreds of meters into the forest can be observed. This is cause for alarm since the forest is being slashed and burned without considering the topography.
Forest inventories are lacking. Periodic forest inventories would be able to give guidance on the amount and rate of depletion of forest resources. They would allow better planning and utilization of the resource through the granting of licenses and concessions to forest-based industries.
High levels of waste presently occur in forest operations, both in the forest and in the sawmills. This means that a greater amount of trees must be harvested for the volume required, speeding up the process of deforestation.
The shortage of personnel and investigators in the forestry administration limits the planning, monitoring and control of forest operations.
Employment in the industrial forest sector is seasonal, which makes it difficult to hire and retain expert and specialized personnel. This exacerbates the problems in forest operations noted previously .
The lack of personnel and scientific documentation about resource conditions and trends are problems that limit the ability of the country to regulate forest licenses and concessions to guarantee long-term forest productivity.
In the recent past the increase in population due to immigration from other Central American countries, primarily of El Salvador, has led to increased deforestation, mainly along the principal roads. This was a big problem during the 1980s. Nowadays, even though diminished, it is still a problem.
The owners of forestry operations and industries claim they have a problem in obtaining credit at commercial banks and state agencies to modernize their equipment. This situation is made worse by the decrease in the country’s commercial forest resource.
Restructuring of the public sector has reduced the personnel of the Forest Department to administer the national forest resources and control private actions.
The agriculture sector carries greater weight for decisionmaking in governmental politics than does the forestry sector.
Even though tourism is an important source of revenue, a large increase in the number of tourists and the associated development of roads and infrastructure could have a negative impact on forests in the future.
The expansion of shrimp farms and tourist development has led to the widespread destruction of mangrove forests along the coast.
Land tenancy laws are reported as a fundamental weakness, both for the conservation and utilization of the forest resources.Getting the right of absolute ownership is only possible after demonstrating that the land “has been developed”, which usually means that it has been cleared for agricultural use.
The criteria used to determine which areas may be leased or sold or to choose those in the private sector to benefit from government programmes are not clear, are a source of economic inefficiency and increase the pressure for illegal deforestation.
